Publication date: November 2019
Source: Health & Place, Volume 60
Author(s): Brent A. Langellier, Jill A. Kuhlberg, Ellis A. Ballard, S. Claire Slesinski, Ivana Stankov, Nelson Gouveia, Jose D. Meisel, Maria F. Kroker-Lobos, Olga L. Sarmiento, Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa, Ana V. Diez Roux, SALURBAL Group
Abstract
We discuss the design, implementation, and results of a collaborative process designed to elucidate the complex systems that drive food behaviors, transport, and health in Latin American cities and to build capacity for systems thinking and community-based system dynamics (CBSD) methods among diverse research team members and stakeholders. During three CBSD workshops, 62 stakeholders from 10 Latin American countries identified 98 variables and a series of feedback loops that shape food behaviors, transportation and health, along with 52 policy levers. Our findings suggest that CBSD can engage local stakeholders, help them view problems through the lens of complex systems and use their insights to prioritize research efforts and identify novel solutions that consider mechanisms of complexity.